The officer bowed respectfully upon seeing him. "So it is Your Highness, Prince Qin. To answer Your Highness, the Chief Minister was resting with his wife at a tavern today when they were falsely accused by villains of an illicit rendezvous. The matter even alarmed Minister Xu of the Ministry of Rites and Old Censor Yu, causing quite a stir. To uncover the truth and clear Madam’s name, we were ordered to invite Miss Feng and her maid to assist in the investigation."
The words were tactfully phrased, but Murong Jin caught the implication. "Are you suggesting this matter involves A-Ying? Preposterous!"
The officers all knelt, while Feng Ying’s heart surged with shock.
What? Chu Changle hadn’t been meeting Young Master Lang at all!
She had been with Yan Zheng?!
Instantly, she realized she had fallen into a trap—and that the other side had likely traced the rumors back to her through the Xu and Yu families. There was no way she could go to the Shuntian Prefecture!
"Brother Ninth, A-Ying is innocent!" Feng Ying lifted her tear-filled eyes pleadingly. "I haven’t stepped outside my doors for days and know nothing of what the Chief Minister speaks of… It’s not that I fear going, but entering a government office would tarnish a woman’s reputation."
Murong Jin nodded thoughtfully. "Very well. I will go to Shuntian Prefecture in your stead, and your maid shall accompany me. If we walk with integrity, we have nothing to fear from Yan Zheng’s investigation!"
Feng Ying’s heart sank. Little Dai was her confidante—what if she cracked under pressure?
But she had no choice now. She fixed the maid with a sharp glare. "Go with Brother Ninth then. Remember—do not confess to what you haven’t done. With him there, no one will dare torture you!"
The unspoken command was clear: deny everything. Little Dai hastily agreed.
Yet shortly after they left, another group barged in.
Led by Meng Yang, they smiled at her. "Miss Feng, my lord anticipated that Prince Qin’s presence might make it difficult to invite you, so he ordered us to wait until His Highness departed before escorting you."
Feng Ying’s eyes widened. "You—!"
Half an hour later, in the back hall of Shuntian Prefecture...
Yan Zheng and Chu Ruoyan sat leisurely sipping tea, while the others fidgeted uneasily—some standing anxiously, others perched stiffly on their seats, all clearly ill at ease.
When footsteps finally echoed, Minister Xu rushed forward. "Is that Prince Qin? Please, come in!"
Murong Jin nodded as the officials bowed. Yan Zheng gave a casual salute, then glanced behind him. "Miss Feng didn’t come?"
Murong Jin frowned. "This is a government office. A woman’s presence here would harm her reputation!"
"Oh? Then I must apologize for thoughtlessly damaging my wife’s good name." He smirked, turning to Chu Ruoyan. "Will you forgive me, Madam?"
The sarcasm was palpable.
Murong Jin’s patience snapped. "Chief Minister Yan, County Princess Changle! I know you bear a grudge against A-Ying over your sister’s affairs, but she is neither scheming nor cruel—she would never frame you!"
Chu Ruoyan massaged her temples, wishing she could crack open his skull to see what spell Feng Ying had cast on him.
Yan Zheng raised a brow. "Minister Xu, the person is here. What are you waiting for?"
Old Xu hobbled forward, whispered something to Little Dai, then showed her an object.
The maid, who had been stubbornly silent, turned pale and kowtowed violently.
"I confess! I confess everything! It was my lady—"
"Miss Feng ordered me to bribe storytellers to spread rumors of County Princess Changle’s affair! When we learned the County Princess was meeting someone privately, she told me to inform the officials, hoping they’d catch her in the act! I swear this is the truth—please have mercy!"
Murong Jin’s face darkened. He seized her shoulders. "What nonsense are you spouting? How dare you slander your mistress?!"
Terrified, Little Dai shook her head frantically.
He then whirled on Old Xu. "What did you show her? Hand it over!"
Old Xu glanced at Yan Zheng, who nodded. The old man unfolded a handkerchief.
"That’s A-Ying’s handkerchief! Where did you get it?" Murong Jin’s eyes blazed, but Old Xu countered, "Does Your Highness not wish to know what I said?"
The prince froze as the old man continued leisurely, "I told her Miss Feng had already confessed. If she didn’t tell the truth, she alone would bear the punishment."
Murong Jin felt as if struck by lightning. He knew Old Xu hadn’t lied—this was a common interrogation tactic, isolating suspects to extract honest confessions.
A-Ying… had truly framed the Chief Minister and his wife!
Staggering back, he nearly lost his balance.
Just then, another set of footsteps approached, followed by a venomous shriek: "You wretched slave! How dare you betray your mistress?!"
Murong Jin looked up dazedly as Feng Ying stormed in, slapping Little Dai repeatedly across the face. Her face was so twisted with rage that she seemed a stranger to him.
The maid’s teeth were knocked loose, blood gushing as she wailed, "I didn’t lie! I didn’t! At the Qujiang Banquet, it was also you who ordered Miss Chu the Second pushed into the water! And Midwife Qiao—mmph!"
Feng Ying clamped a hand over her mouth and hissed, "Do you want your brother to die?"
Little Dai’s eyes bulged in terror before she went limp.
Released, the maid pressed her forehead to the ground and cried, "I—I was deluded! I lied to escape blame! I did it all—I deserve death!!"
She swallowed something and within moments, blood seeped from her seven orifices.
Even in death, her unblinking eyes remained fixed on Feng Ying—a silent plea to spare her brother.
Feng Ying didn’t spare her a glance. Sighing in relief, she turned to Yan Zheng and Chu Ruoyan. "Chief Minister, County Princess Changle, such a vile servant in my household has wronged you both. I beg your forgiveness..."
Her gaze lingered on Yan Zheng.
So he did care for her!
Why else would he send Meng Yang to fetch her and silence Little Dai?
Yan Zheng nearly retched at her look, but Chu Ruoyan’s gentle voice intervened. "Miss Feng, whether she was a wicked servant or a loyal one remains unclear. Prince Qin seems to share our doubts..."
Feng Ying’s heart lurched—she’d forgotten her "escape route"!
Turning urgently to Murong Jin, she cooed, "Brother Ninth, I’m sorry. I never imagined Little Dai would do such evil..."
She stepped toward him, but he roared, "Stay back!"
Feng Ying halted, bewildered. "Brother Ninth? It’s me, A-Ying..."
Murong Jin stared at her as if seeing a ghost. "No… You’re not the A-Ying I knew. The A-Ying I knew was kind, gentle—she would never strike anyone, let alone… let alone drive a servant to death!!"
Everyone knew the truth behind Little Dai’s demise.
They remained silent only to avoid offending the Feng family—and the imperial pardon they held.
Feng Ying clenched her fists, unwilling to lose such a useful pawn after all: "Ninth Brother, you've misunderstood me. How could I ever drive a servant to their death..."
